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Dancing In The Glory Of Monsters: The Collapse Of The Congo And The Great War Of Africa (2011)

by Jason Stearns(Favorite Author)

4.14 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1586489291 (ISBN13: 9781586489298)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

PublicAffairs

review 1: The Congo is a huge land mass, as large as Western Europe, yet it is largely outside the news cycle of the developed world. The genocide in Rwanda, as heinous as it was, was only the beginning of a period of African wars that were centered in Congo but involved heterogeneous ethnic and national groups. Millions of people were killed. This book does an admirable job in trying to pinpoint the historic record of what happened and to analyze the causes. At one time in history, around the fifteenth century, this region had stable government. According to the author ancient tribal relationships were destroyed by the slave trade and by colonial governments. Today, ethnic tensions still abound. Sucessive leaders have discouraged the development of civic and democratic inst... moreitiutions, viewing them as potential political threats. No remedies for lasting peace and benevolent government are offered but the reader gains understanding of the complexity that is Congo today.
review 2: As one who visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I have to say that Stearns' book is right on the money. There is no doubt that Belgian colonialism and lack of governance are just a few factors of this nation's problems. Stearn's reporting style with its blow-by-blow action is compelling to say the least. If you are ready for a whirlwind account of the wars & governance of the DRC this is a good book. less

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